Sunday, March 8, 2026
4 PM – 5:30 PM
Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church
2 Revolutionary Road
Ardsley, NY
In celebration of International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, this concert exclusively includes works by female composers written between 1846 and 2023. Composers include Fanny Mendelssohn, Amy Beach, Mel Bonis, and living composers Jennifer Higdon, Reena Esmail, and Andrea Cassarubios. The Solace Trio—April Johnson (violin), Peter Seidenberg (cello), and Tomoko Uchino (piano)—will perform these disparate works.
Fanny Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio (1846) is widely considered to be among her greatest compositions. The Romance for violin and piano by Amy Beach is a startlingly beautiful composition of late 19th-century romanticism. The prolific French composer, Mel Bonis, will be represented by her Soir et Matin (1907) for violin, cello, and piano. The concert then switches gears to three living composers. Jennifer Higdon’s Piano Trio explores the composer’s fascination with the relationship between composing and painting. Andrea Casarrubios’ Sonia for cello and piano (2023) is an homage to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Saans (2017) by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail explores, as does much of her work, the worlds of classical Indian (Hindustani) and western classical music.
The 70-minute program will be performed without breaks for applause.
About the Artists
April Johnson [violin]. Johnson has performed throughout the US with the Oracle Trio and the New York Chamber Soloists. She is a former Concertmaster for the Jupiter Symphony, Canton Ohio Symphony, Galatea Ensemble, Queens Oratorio; and Associate Concertmaster for the Norwalk Symphony. Having performed in Europe and Asia, she has also recorded on Dorian and Lyrichord. A member of the Hoff-Barthelson Music School who also teaches Suzuki Violin, she earned a BM from Oberlin College and Advanced Studies at Brooklyn College Conservatory.
Peter Seidenberg [cello]. “Totally enchanting, inspired performances, brimming with natural, spontaneous musicianship”, raves Gramophone Magazine about cellist Peter Seidenberg. Mr. Seidenberg has played in major halls throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, and served as principal cellist with the Century Orchestra of Osaka. He was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Elements Quartet, which created groundbreaking commissioning projects of 30 composers. He has collaborated with members of the Cleveland, Tokyo, Juilliard, and Emerson Quartets and participated in the Marlboro, Aspen, Caramoor, and Casals festivals. He is the cellist for the Oracle Trio, the Queen’s Chamber Band, and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Tomoko Uchino [piano]. Ms. Uchino received awards at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition and the Takahiro Sonoda Piano Award International Competitions. She has performed at major concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Thailand, as well as at chamber music festivals. A member of Solace Ensemble, THUD, and the Jang/Uchino Violin-Piano Duo, she has served on the accompanying staff of the Juilliard School, the Heifetz International Music Institute, and others. She earned a BM High Honors at the U of Michigan, MM from Peabody Conservatory, and Doctoral of Musical Arts from U of Arizona. She received a graduate diploma from the Juilliard School.
